Tuesday 17  June 2025

Reigate Priory won by 0 wickets. Cranleigh CC 109 / 2 (16 overs) v Reigate Priory CC 110 / 8 (15.3 overs).
 
Reigate Priory Ladies won a thrilling encounter versus Cranleigh Cobras, getting across the line with three balls left in the game in a match they were chasing from the very start.
 
Reigate skipper Vicki Howard won the toss and invited the Cranleigh Cobras to have a bat. Taylor Van Wyk and Grace Denton got Cranleigh off to a flying start as Reigate’s opening pair of Syke Beal (0 for 11 off 3) and Lily Unsworth (0 for 21 off 2) were met with some attacking stroke play in the early overs. Reigate adjusted the strategy and took pace off the ball as Bella Cross (0 for 17 off 2), Vicki Howard (0 for 14 off 3) and Annie Turner (0 for 19 off 3) started to peg Cranleigh back.
 
Grace Denton top scored for Cranleigh, retiring on 42 n.o and her replacement Matilda Ree (8) departed soon after, LBW to Izzy Wall (1 for 12 off 3). Evie Davies (1 for 11 off 2) joined the attack and with the help of some very tight fielding from the whole Reigate team, partnered well with Izzy, as Cranleigh couldn’t maintain the run rate in the final overs. Isle Bishop drove one straight to Vicki Howard at mid-off, departing for 5, leaving Taylor Van Wky to carry her bat on 25 n.o and Ava Bushnell (4 n.o) to close the innings for Cranleigh on 109 for 2.
 
Izzy Cooper and Camilla Thrush opened the innings for Reigate and signalled their intent from the start. Izzy Cooper departed for 12, which included 3 fours. Bella Cross (5) and Camilla took the score onto 26 before Bella was caught by Ava Bushnell trying to push things along. Camilla kept the Cranleigh fielders on their toes with three sweetly timed boundaries, departing for 13 with the score on 38. That brought Vicki Howard to the middle who played a captains innings, combining experience with powerful stroke play as she partnered with Lily Unsworth (0), Evie Davies (2), Annie Turner (0) and Skye Beal (7) to shepherd the score to 74, as Reigate’s final batter Izzy Wall came to the crease.
 
With Reigate needing 36 runs from 36 balls, with no wickets in hand the Cranleigh Cobras thought their first victory of the season was in sight. The tension mounted as Vicki and Izzy took the score onto 96, and in truth Reigate looked in total control as Vicki cleared the leg side boundary for a powerfully hit six, but 14 runs short of victory Vicki was caught behind, departing for 29 from 16 balls, including five fours and a six.
 
The eagle eyed among you will have already noted that a winning margin of ‘by 0 wickets’ doesn’t appear to make sense, but Izzy Wall Reigate’s last not out batter was permitted to continue on her own as competition rules permit ‘last woman standing’, 14 runs from 14 balls required - game on Izzy!
 
Every dot ball was greeted with a gasp of delight from the Cranleigh supporters, but Izzy managed to find the gaps and keep the scoreboard ticking over before lofting a well-timed drive over cover for four in the penultimate over, which meant 6 runs were required from the final over. With most of the Reigate team covering their eye’s, Izzy pushed the first two balls of the final over for singles, before leaning into the third ball and crossing the cover point boundary to seal victory for Reigate with three balls to go.

A superb finish to an incredibly exciting game, well played Reigate who held their nerve and fully deserved what was a hard fought win.